Telegram-herald., 1887-06-05
LIE DIGGER INDIANS.


I. rhei- Peculiar Traits.
CHICAGO, june /
In the roturda ~ tire sherman house the
other evening a veteran Rocky mountain
hunter was entertaining group Of CONNER
cial rsen with xtcr.es OF adventures on the
plains and niouotsia fastnesscs. "By tue
nay. bcv-. elid Won ever bear tell Of the Dig
ger IutiAilsi Well, this IS how / dropped
on.o' er1 = was only month or two ago;
l had wounded a tough and Tsther lively
grizzly naar the foot h.lls. end he was sneak
ing CT Is a pretty lively rate over the plsliis
l started IN full pursuit. calculating that
another shot az close range would fetch the
critier. when. jumping upon one OF the many
curious hillocks that ceatereG az one point,
seemed 20 ba tumbling through huge In
vertea basket, and an Of a sudden found
mvsslf dorb.ed up IN heap in a pit
about six feet deep, describing
circle of perhaps seven feet, surrounded
, ly a tribe of three dirty Indian sqnaws,
! scansily clothed, four naked chikiren and an
oid Indian brave. sans war paint aud any cx-
terror ornaments OF clotaing other than
Ieathe- Sirth, % which Was attached a rude
ha.chst and pipe. The Inhabitants OF the
subterranean abode were clearly taken by
surprise, snd the women and children
screamed ard shouted like 80 mary Conan
cies on the warrafh. The old Indian shook
bis bead 9itt dtspieasure, made a pretense az
graSging MS ton.aha vk, and pronounced r
short milan Grafton in tesp guttCral tones.
extempcri1sd eioqucnt gestures Indicating my
deep cnaCrin az the SITUATION in which very
ne rpectediy found myself. pointed 20 barked
shins and bruised arms, and with my eyes
firmly fxed upon the optics Of tas Indian,
laid hold u r sort of rope ladder connecting
with too cpening above and crawled up side
WAYS. crab fashion. my face turned the whllo
70 the occupants OF the pit, and rimbly leaped
through tue openinS. l quickly perceived
that wes IN tie very seart Of a ssibtefranesn
Dizxcr Indt&n viliage. Tor on all sides the
basae. ike coverings q the pits were being
removed and tho occupants, cid and young,
great and small, dad IN al degrees
OF undress sad fithinesS, formed in
family zrOups aDtut their respective homes
or ioiges There were in the village
perhais thirty IodSe- IN the center Of
an nnuenae plain. mile cr 50 from the bot
tom og the foot hills, on a small rise OF
ground The hnis oq pits we're scattered
about irrcgulsrly and in.5iscriuinafely. and
nos in the Cylsr whict usually characterizes
The lolgrs q Indian villages They were
simply pits or holes dug into the sarth, from
four 20 seven feet in diameter and usually
from four 20 six feet in depth. While many
of these Indian residences we're purely and
sinsrlv circuiSr pits, others we're u a more
prstentious nature and further elaborated,
embracing one or mere shafts or chambers
On level vita the bottom Of TIE hut, dug
into the sisles ~ the room from four TO six
feet. with an arched covering of earth two OF
three feet high-litersl earth chambeS. three
feet e4llsrs by f~e or SIX feet iong. Zone Of
The bnts hsd one chambsr and others two OF
uiors chambers. info which the adult meu-
bers of the Indian family crawied az night
for rest and sleep The TOPS q th-se fudian
abcles we're covered with boughs q trees 50
arranged - ~ sbsd wster and sprinkisd With
iesves and dried zrass. usually covered with
thin layer II Sod Then in the center there
Is -arrew opening of eighteen inches - Two
feet. cioe~i hT = remarkable willow or wicker
work covering. which = nfted - ore side
whenever the occupants of the hut wish 70
rrske their entrsncs CT exit from the $40
st~Tsaan sbe<ie L. G. r